Fly-poison dish or plate



(No Model.)

J. H. SMITH. FLY POISON DISH 0R PLATE.

N01 601,596. Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

MAW- d UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JAY HUNGERFORD SMITH, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

FLY-POISON DISH OR PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,596, dated March 29, 1898.

Application filed 111116 30, 1897.

To all whom, it may concern:

. Be it known that LJAY HUNGERFORD SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rochester,in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fly-Poison Dishes or Plates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class or type of articles known as fiy-poison dishes or plates, designed to contain a layer of paper or other absorbent material supplied with fly-poison and on which a small quantity of water is poured to obtain a poisoned liquor which will quickly destroy or kill flies and other insects if they drink or use the liquor. The ordinary dishes or plates intended-for the purpose stated are open to the serious objection that small children having access thereto frequently pick up or tip the dishes or plates and drink more or less of the poisoned liquor without consciousness of danger or serious results, thereby causing death or at least danger of painful illness if proper antidotes are not promptly administered.

The objects of my invention are to avoid the objections stated, to improve dishes or plates of the character referred to, and to provide a new and improved fiy-poison dish or plate from which the poisoned liquor cannot be drank, but will escape therefrom before reaching the lips of a child or any other person placed on the edge of the dish or plate with v the intention of drinking the liquor. These objects are accomplished in the manner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of a fly-poison dish or plate embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the same, and Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a modified form of dish or plate.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawings, wherein the numeral 1 indicates the imperforate central bottom or body portion of the dish or plate, and 2 the dish or plate rim extending continuously around the imperforate bottom or body portion 1. The bottom or body portion is in the form of a shallow receptacle designed to re- Serial No. 643,012. on model.)

ceive a layer 3 (one or more) of poisoned flypaper or any other material containing poison which, when saturated with water, will poison the latter. In practice the poisoned paper is placed in the shallow receptacle at the center of the dish'or plate and is covered with sweetened water, which the flies or in-. sects will drink and which will destroy or kill them in a comparatively short time.

The solution is usually arsenic, but any poisonous substance suitable for the purpose in hand may be incorporated in the poisoned fly-paper; or, if desired, the sweetened liqnor, with poison in the solution, may be poured in the receptacle, the paper or other absorbent material being dispensed with.

The rim of the dish or plate is relatively wide and high and is foraminous in such manner that if the dish or plate be tilted or tipped with the intention of drinking the liquor the latter will escape through the foraminous rim, the aggregate area of the openings therein being such as to permit of the discharge of the liquor before reaching the outer edge thereof, against which the lips of a child or other person are naturally placed to drink the liquor. The foraminous construction of the rim may be effected in any manner suitable for the purpose in hand. As shown in Fig. 1,

the foraminous rim is provided by co'nstructv ing such rim with numerous perforations 4, arranged in several rows around the imperforate bottom of the dish or plate and between the same and the edge of the rim. The perforations 4 are shown as circular, but they may be of any other form or-shape.

The dish or plate is preferably composed of paper struck up into the form required by suitable dies; but it may be composed of earthenware, metal, wood, pyroxylin compound, or of any other suitable material.

In the modified construction illustrated by Fig. 3 the central bottom or body portion 5 constituting the receptacle is composed of earthenware or any other material and the foraminous rim 6 is composed of metal.

The dish or plate represented in Fig. 1 is approximately square in outline, while in Fig. 3 it is circular. The outline of the dish or plate, however, may be variously modified without altering the spirit of my invention, and the same remarks apply to the forami nous rim, as it may be provided in many ways unnecessary to illustrate or describe. The essential feature is a fly-poison dish or plate having a relatively Wide and high foraminous or perforated rim, the aggregate area of the openings in such rim being such as to permit of the discharge of the liquor before it can reach the edge of the dish if the latter be tilted or tipped with the intention of drinking the liquor.

It is preferable to construct the dish or plate of constituting a guard which will effectually prevent the flow of any liquor to the edge of the dish or plate if the latter be suddenly tilted or tipped.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A fly-poison dish or plate provided in its bottom with fly-poison paper and constructed to hold a liquid poured on the paper, said dish or plate having a relatively wide and high foraminous rim through which the poisoned liquor will escape if the dish or plate be tilted or tipped with the intention of drinking the liquor, the aggregate area of the openings in said rim being such as to permit of the discharge of the liquor before it can reach the edge of the dish, substantially as described.

2. A fly-poison dish or plate provided in its bottom with fly-poison paper and having a rim perforated between the outer edge thereof and the dish or plate bottom, and a continuous surrounding bead in proximity to the outer edge of the rim, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAY I-IUNGERFORD SMITH.

Witnesses:

WALTER S. HUBBELL, MARVIN W. WYNNE. 

